After taking place in INMerge Istanbul and INMerge Tashkent,
INMerge Innovation
Summit concluded its 2026 International Event Series in with
INMerge Berlin on June 29 in AXICA Convention Center. The Took
place on 29 June 2026 at the AXICA Convention Center in Berlin, the
summit event brought together founders, investors, corporate
innovators, C-level executives, startups, venture capital
representatives, and technology leaders to explore new
opportunities for investment, partnerships, and market expansion
across Europe and Central Eurasia.


As the third and final international stop before the flagship
INMerge Innovation Summit in Baku this November, INMerge Berlin
served as an official side event of GITEX Europe. Organized in
partnership with Plug and Play, the event created a platform for
high-impact discussions, meaningful networking, and cross-border
collaboration between Europe’s innovation ecosystem and the rapidly
growing markets of Azerbaijan, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and
beyond.


“INMerge Berlin marks an important milestone in the evolution of
the INMerge Innovation Summit. By bringing INMerge to Europe for
the first time, we are expanding the conversation beyond regional
borders and creating a stronger bridge between Europe, Azerbaijan,
the Caucasus, Central Asia, and emerging innovation markets. This
event reflects our commitment to connecting founders, investors,
corporate leaders, and ecosystem builders around ideas that can
shape the future of technology and entrepreneurship”, said
Farid Mammadov, CEO at PASHA Financial
Holding.


The program opened with a keynote by Martin Gutmann
opened with his keynote, “Are We Celebrating the Wrong
Leaders?” .The session set the tone for the day by reflecting
on the evolving qualities of leadership in a fast-changing global
innovation landscape and challenging conventional ideas about what
effective leadership looks like.


Followed by the panel discussion “Trust Corridors:
Rebuilding Financial Bridges Between Europe and Emerging
Markets” focused on financial connectivity and market access,
highlighting how stronger institutional trust and cross-border
partnerships can drive growth between Europe and emerging markets.
Speakers included Ekaterina Galitsyna,Director
Business Development Origination at KfW IPEX-Bank,
Bahruz Naghiyev, Deputy CEO at PASHA Bank
Azerbaijan, Zuzana Franz, Managing Director, Head
of International Banking Sales at ODDO BHF. The
panel was moderated by Rza Aliyev, chief strategy
officer at NGIC . The discussion emphasized
rebuilding confidence, enabling investment flows, and strengthening
links between innovation ecosystems.







The fireside chat “Beyond Efficiency: Wellbeing, Culture and
the Future of Work” featured Ad Boon, Deputy
CEO, Group Chief People Officer at PASHA Holding
and Martin Gutmann, professor at Lucerne
School of Business and was moderated by Maria
Ivanova, co-founder of Gingo Partners.
The discussion explored how organizations can balance productivity
with employee wellbeing, inclusive culture, and long-term
resilience, highlighting the growing importance of human-centered
approaches in evolving work models.


The panel “From Berlin Labs to Emerging Market Scale: AI,
Big Tech and the Next Innovation Bridge” explored how AI,
global tech companies, and emerging market opportunities are
shaping the next wave of innovation. Speakers included
Mammad Karim, general partner at Caucasus
Ventures, Mehti Aslanov, group chief AI
officer at PASHA Financial Holding,
Alexandra Begue, Global Portfolio Co-Creation &
Co-Innovation Hub Principal at SAP and
Valeria Sadovykh, Data and AI senior specialist at
Microsoft Germany. The panel was moderated by
Tughra Musayeva, head of Innovations at
PASHA Financial Holding. The discussion focused on
how ideas from leading tech hubs can scale into high-growth markets
through partnerships, investment, and ecosystem collaboration.


The International Event Series concluded with a Startup Pitch
Competition evaluated by leading investors. Three selected startups
earned the opportunity to participate in the main INMerge event in
Baku on 30 November - 1 December, 2026. The first-place startup
“Sintro” will receive a fully funded package,
while two additional startups “Datfid” and
“Lan fly” will receive partial funding
support.


As the final stop in the 2026 International Event Series, Berlin
underscored highlighted INMerge’s role in connecting Europe with
Central Eurasia and strengthening collaboration across borders. The
event reaffirmed reinforced INMerge Innovation Summit’s mission to
bring together ecosystems, capital, and ideas ahead of the main
INMerge event on 30 November - 1 December, 2026.